WHERE ARE THE KEYS?

One of our local churches puts interesting quotes up on a noticeboard and changes it regularly. 

Recently it said, "The Keys to Heaven hang on The Cross".  By that, they are saying that forgiveness for our wrongs, our eternal salvation, and our place in heaven when we die, all depend on the cross where Jesus gave His life.  

So yes, we have peace with God through the cross of Christ.  

"But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation."  Romans 5:8-9 (NLT)

We may rightly believe that because of Christ, we can have confidence that we are forgiven and one day, when we die, be with Christ in Heaven!

What an amazing gift.

But Jesus told us to pray for the Kingdom of God to be on earth as in Heaven!  That sounds like He wants to bring some heavenly peace right here and right now.

I would like to add to the quote about the keys of heaven on
The Cross to also say THE KEYS TO HEAVEN ON EARTH HANG ON MY CROSS

What in the world do I mean?

I remember many years ago feeling frustrated with our home life.  We were visiting a church, and I really prayed that The Lord would speak to Jeff (Yes, embarrassing to admit).  Well, the preacher talked about taking up our cross to follow Christ and how that impacts relationships.  I was so disappointed!  That was not what I wanted to hear.  But as we applied that truth, peace returned to our marriage.

Simply put, while we are all set on getting our own way, there is little chance of Heaven on earth, in our homes, our workplaces and society in general.  

We need to be doing what Jesus said and taking up our own cross to follow Him. (Mark 8:34)

I love the following verses.  They are powerful words and certainly counter-cultural, but they carry such wisdom.

"Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. (Philippians 2:3-4 NLT)

As Christ-followers, we are called to pray for the Kingdom of God to be established on earth as it is in Heaven and also play our part in living the values of Heaven while we are here.

Could it be that the key to peace we long for in our homes and workplaces is found when we simply stop demanding our own way and honour others as better than ourselves, or at least as important as ourselves?

Is that one way we can pick up our cross and unlock the power of the Kingdom of God on earth - right where we live?

With love,
Lynda x

A LOADED QUESTION

 Just before Christmas, I was browsing the shops with Emma, my daughter. I saw something that caught my attention as, to me, it represented The Question of our Times.  

Clearly, this question was about something other than a good meal, drink, or place to live. It was about behaviour because we all want our stockings full at Christmas!  

We live in a world that says if it feels good - it is. But this has problems, particularly when my good and your good collide. Invariably, someone gets hurt, relationships sour, and our lives are diminished at best and destroyed at worst.

It is good that we have road rules that have nothing to do with how we feel or what we want but everything to do with having a standard that protects all road users. These rules are not subjective or open to negotiation but entirely outside me.

We need an objective "Good" that is outside us all, and I think that is what this image asks for. A clear definition that is bigger than us all, especially in the individualistic society that we live in.

However, this is more than just a question of our times. Back over two thousand years ago, the same was asked of Jesus. A man came to Jesus and asked precisely that question, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"  

Jesus gave this man an abrupt answer; he said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God." Essentially, Jesus replied as if He would refer the man to someone else... but He didn't.  

We find elsewhere in Scripture the answer to this dilemma.  

John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  then, later in the conversation, Jesus tells Thomas that those who have seen Jesus have seen the Father.

So, if we want an objective 'bigger than me' answer to what is good, we look to Jesus. When someone asks me what God is like, I tell them to read the Gospels that show us Jesus because everything that Jesus thought, said and did is what God thinks, says and does.

Not only is He a great example of 'good', but He gives us what it takes to live good lives by offering forgiveness, a fresh start and the empowerment of The Holy Spirit within us to do good.

It is now the 10th of January, and the Christmas break is fading as the new year begins. Can I encourage you to read the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke & John, and discover God who is altogether good, demonstrated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Finally, all the very best for 2024. My prayer for us all is that it will be 'Good'!

Much love,

Lynda

WHAT INCENSE DO YOU HAVE AT YOUR PLACE?     

I love the worship song, "Worthy is the Lamb".  There isn't a lyric in it that doesn't resonate powerfully with me.

However, the line, "Day and night, night and day let incense arise", captures my imagination.  

I imagine from our churches that the incense of worship and prayer rises up to heaven as a pleasant fragrance to God.  

"Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out"  Revelation 8:3-4

But then I think about my life, my home, my street, my town.  What is rising from there... because something is.

Is it a fragrance of worship, of thanksgiving, of prayer, 

......or a smell of grumbling, griping and selfishness?

Or is it the silence of disengagement?

If we could open our spiritual eyes, we would see this. I like to picture my home, and wonder if there is anything rising that captures heaven's attention?  

I almost always have a song playing in my soul.  Jeff, who is recently retired, has noticed that I often sing at home.

We recently had a holiday together with some other family members.  This was something really special, but holidays with other family members can often have moments of tension.  I found myself at odds with Jeff, and the next morning there was silence. 

No song, just an overwhelming sense of stupidity.

I know that, at times, there is grumbling and crankiness.  I wish it wasn't, but as James said in his letter, our tongues are the hardest, near impossible part of ourselves to tame. (James 3:7)

When it comes to the silence of disengagement... I never want that!  

The only way to re-engage is to admit our stupidity, and ask for forgiveness, not just from the people we have hurt, but to The Lord.  We can have confidence that He ALWAYS forgives.  

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (1 John 1:8-9)

Let there always, day and night, be the delightful fragrance of open engagement, thanksgiving, prayer and worship, not just in Church, but in our homes and hearts as well.

Until next time,

Lynda xx

WHAT HAS YOUR ATTENTION?

Hi Everyone,

It has been a very long time since I have been here; a lot has happened, and my world has changed on so many levels. It has been tumultuous, to say the least. One thing has remained the same: The Presence of God, His faithfulness, His word and His comfort. Malachi 3:6 tells us that He never changes, and I KNOW that is true! This is not just something I believe; it is something I experience.

My prayer is that you will know His presence in every season and every circumstance in the same way.

But today, I'm not looking back; I have a word of important encouragement.  

We live in very difficult times, which you do not need me to harp on about - no doubt you are painfully aware of disasters, wars, social unrest and economic challenges, to name a few.

This is what I want to say - LOOK UP - BUT KEEP DOING GOOD. Don't look to one hand where you may fall into paralysing fear and anxiety, and don't look to the other hand where you may become angry and issue-driven. That is a route you do not want to take!

But look up because your redemption draws near. Don't look up in passive waiting, but look up and keep doing good. Jesus said, when He comes back, will He find faith on the earth?

Keep your eyes looking up, but keep your hands busy doing good. Don't stop planning for the future; don't stop sharing the good news of the Gospel, which is for all people everywhere, no matter what their colour or creed. Don't stop loving, serving and giving. None of it is wasted and will find its place in His Kingdom on that great day.  

If there is one thing the world needs right now, it is not a Church that is distracted by issues and anger or retreating in fear and anxiety. Nor does it need a Church that has disengaged while it waits for His coming. The world needs a Church that knows the final outcome and can function in faith and love wherever it is and whoever it is with while we wait.

Please, keep your eyes and your heart in the right direction! And keep your hands busy with generous and faith-filled activity.

Much love,

Lynda

CRACKLE ON THE LINE

There is a promise and a heritage that belongs to all Christ-followers. It's a beautiful promise and makes all the difference in our lives.

 "My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me" These are words Jesus said, and they apply to all of His people, not just the special super-spiritual ones.

As part of raising my children, there is one thing I looked for as they grew up. Can they hear God for themselves? Once I knew they could, I ceased worrying too much because I knew that whatever happened, if they could listen to The Shepherd's voice, they'd be OK.

And yet I would be lying if I said hearing His voice always comes easily and clearly. Sometimes, knowing what God is saying to me seems unclear and garbled.  

So what's the problem?

When something else has our attention, we don't hear. Have you ever tried to tell a family member about something, perhaps, ask them to do something, and they just don't hear? It's called selective deafness and comes when what we want has our attention so much that we become 'deaf' to any interruption.

Prioritizing pleasing God above ourselves clears the crackle on the line!

Pain can scream so loudly in our souls that we don't hear. This morning in Church, Pastor Murray talked about finding God's will for our lives and the part that hearing God plays in that. He said we should listen to God and not all the wounds, prejudice and bitter root judgements we have about people.

When it comes to this, we need to examine our hearts for those pre-judgements about people and situations and repent of them. We need to forgive those who have hurt us and leave the pain in the past where it belongs.

Repentance and forgiveness clear the crackle on the line!

A sense of unworthiness can create a crackle on the line so that we can't hear His voice. We may feel God would never lower Himself to speak to us because that is for special, unique and mystical people. But the promise of Scripture is that everyone would hear His voice in the last days! (Acts 2:17-18)  

Then Paul goes on with these beautiful words in Romans 8:31-34 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."

Can you see if God already gave Jesus, His very own Son, and Jesus gave His own life for us, that nothing else is withheld, least of all His voice?

Accepting His grace clears the crackle on the line!

Closed paradigms can create a crackle on the line. You know, that thinking says, "it's always been this way", or, "that's never been done before!".  

Jeremiah 33:3 is one of my favourites at the moment. It says, "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know."  

Notice it says He will show us things we DON'T KNOW. That sounds like new ideas and paradigms to me.  

Being open to new ideas and ways will clear the crackle on the line!

No matter what, as a Christ-follower, hearing His voice is your heritage, don't let the crackle on the line stop you from hearing Him!

Until next time,

Love, Lynda xx

  

WHAT'S YOUR BOTTOM LINE?

The subject of holiness came up in discussion at a life group Bible study many years ago, and one of the questions asked was, "what does it mean to you to be holy?"

Why not stop and think about that for a moment?  What does it mean to you?

It's almost embarrassing for me to remember how I spent many of my early years as a follower of Christ trying to be holy.  For one period, I would not wear jeans - ever!  I don't know why; maybe it was this pursuit of holiness.  I'll never forget the evening I came home and put a pair of jeans on for the first time in months... they were so comfortable, but even more comfortable was the sense of freedom I felt in my soul.

This was one of my many attempts, to be frank, all quite embarrassing when I look back!  The fear of stepping outside of God's favour was crippling.  

More recently, while in a time of recovery from bad health and exhaustion, I was relaxing with a magazine and heard the whisper of His voice.  "Do I love you any less in this moment than when you are working, praying, preaching, studying or serving?"

Of course, the answer was, "No".  I am loved as His dear child. 

And so are you.

So in answer to that first question, "What does it mean to be holy?" someone in the group said, "I don't wake up thinking, I'm going to be a holy man today!"

But we can wake up saying, "I want to be His today." 

If our bottom line is, "My heart belongs to Jesus." we need never fear that we are living unholy lives, as this bottom line will inform every decision and every temptation that comes our way.

And that's living a holy life!

Until next time,

Lynda x

FILL YOUR SPACE

 

"MYOB"... before it was a bookkeeping app, it was simply short for "Mind Your Own Business".  

It was something mean other kids said to me if I wanted to be in on what was going on!  

In a time when we literally have the world in the palm of our hands, it can be hard to stay focused on our own business.  Somehow it doesn't seem as critical, exciting or fulfilling as our own business.

Or, we find constant background anxiety hanging over us because there is so much going on and we feel overwhelmed by all the need, suffering and just plain evil.

Do you know that YOUR space matters?  It may not seem significant enough, but it really is.  I love the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, where he tells us to live quiet lives, minding our own business!

"But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;  that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing."

• Your home matters.
• Your job matters.
• Your family matters.
• Your health matters.
• Your friends' matter
• You matter.

I recently removed all the news apps off my phone because I constantly sensed that background anxiety.  It was invading my sleep and my capacity to mind my own business properly.  It's no use if we are so distracted by what is going on in someone else's world if we are not PRESENT in our own.  

Do a little stocktake.  Are you fully present in your world, or are you constantly off somewhere else?

Do the people in your world know that you are there for them, or do they feel like a side hustle while you do the 'important stuff' elsewhere?

These questions can confront us, but they can also release us from pressure we were never meant to carry.

Imagine if all of us attended to our own business, fully present and fully engaged. The ripple effect that would have on our communities.

Perhaps minding our own business is part of the solution to the world's problems after all.

Fill your space.... because it matters, and as you fill it beautifully as only you can, your space and your influence will grow.

With love,

Lynda x